A lot of us have had to adjust to working from home recently and it can be a big change for some.
Your routine and schedule has likely completely changed and it’s thrown you completely out of sync.
We’ve compiled a list of things to try and make working from home a little easier for you.
Make sure you have set working times.
Since being at home, I’ve stuck to my usual hours so it gives some structure to the day and you have a set time to get things done which will also hopefully keep you focused on work as there are completely different distractions at home compared to in the office.
Have a dedicated workspace.
Don’t just sit in bed on your laptop – as much as you might want to!
The only space I could set up was in my bedroom, but I have a desk and a chair so that I am only working when I sit here, rather than wherever I like. You need to keep work and relax totally separate – this is more important than ever with us spending so much time at home at the moment.
Act like you’re actually going to work.
Set an alarm, have a shower, get dressed, have breakfast – keep to your normal morning routine. This then sets you up for the day and you’ll be more prepared to sit down and do work. I get up a little later than I would to go into the office, but I make sure I get dressed and have my breakfast before I start work.
Keep in touch with colleagues regularly.
Using video calling apps and programmes such as Google Hangouts is a great way to do this. You can use the instant messaging to ask questions and inform people of things quickly (quicker than an email that might get lost or forgotten) and there’s also the video chat option for team meetings which we have been using to catch up with each other every morning.
Ensure you take regular breaks.
This can be difficult when you’re at home as there’s not really anywhere to go, but make sure you get up from your desk regularly and take little walks round your home. Have a chat with another member of the household for a bit. Just take a break from work a few times a day.
Using virtual numbers can be really useful when working from home. The features that come with them enable you to receive work calls at home with ease.
- Disaster recovery – fall back measures for your customer calls so you don’t miss them
- Employee’s mobile becomes their work extension. Inbound customer calls routed to remote workforce to receive calls on mobiles. Routing can be set up in a variation of ways – hunt groups, multi out dial etc
- Call queuing to handle long call answering times. Add announcement messages apologising for the longer hold times and advising of office closure
- Call whispers on inbound customer calls to your staff so they know it’s a work call and therefore how to answer the call
- Voicemail to email: Customer voicemails from missed or out of hours calls are emailed to the correct team so they can be listened to and called back
- Call recording so management are able to monitor offsite calls
- Audio conferencing so your workforce can communicate with the whole team through a conference call
- Call handling software means no kit or maintenance needed
There are also apps such as the one from NFON which makes your mobile act like your desk phone. You can make and receive calls using your extension/direct dial. You can also put it on ‘do not disturb’ for when you’re not working to make sure you’re getting those breaks!
Working from home and virtual offices are likely to become much more commonplace in the future. There are ways to make the transition much easier for yourself and/or your employees and the running of the business. Virtual phone systems can keep the office running like nothing has changed to ease that transition. Read more about our virtual number solutions here.